The Rockies placed Dugan Darnell on the 15-day injured list on August 22 and then moved him to the 60-day IL two days later, officially ending the right-hander’s first Major League season. Darnell was initially sidelined due to left hip inflammation, but he told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders and other reporters that tests revealed a torn left hip labrum, and surgery will be required. The procedure is expected to take place closer to the end of September, and Darnell is facing a recovery period of roughly eight months.
An Alex Call line drive struck Darnell in the hip on August 21, during the Rockies’ 9-5 loss to the Dodgers. That fateful plate appearance may have been the last straw in forcing the surgery, as Colorado interim manager Warren Schaffer suggested last week that Darnell had been dealing with lingering hip soreness even before Call’s liner.
Regardless, it’s a tough setback for Darnell’s career so soon after he’d finally completed a long journey to the majors. Darnell signed as an undrafted free agent with Colorado in February 2021, following two years of playing independent ball. The righty then posted a 3.74 ERA over 255 1/3 innings in the Rockies’ farm system, working out of the bullpen in all but two of his 200 appearances.
After some rough numbers at the Triple-A level in 2023 and 2024, Darnell posted a 3.19 ERA, 28.8% strikeout rate, and 8.7% walk rate over 53 2/3 innings in Albuquerque in 2025. This was enough for Darnell to earn a trip to the Show at the start of August, and he delivered a 3.86 ERA over 11 2/3 innings and nine relief outings for Colorado. The 28-year-old benefited from some good luck in the form of a 76.9% strand rate and a .257 BABIP, as Darnell had more walks (seven) than strikeouts (five) during his brief time with the Rockies.
In the best-case scenario, Darnell will be available by June 2026, so he’ll start next season on Colorado’s 60-day injured list. If there’s any silver lining to this situation, Darnell will continue to amass Major League service time while on the IL.